Many types of fluids used in the hospital or clinical setting are stored in specialized containers prior to use. One common type of medical container has a clear distal storage portion made of, for example, glass, and a proximal portion comprising a membrane made of, for example, rubber. An operator accesses the interior of the distal storage portion in this type of container using an accessing device having a needle at the distal end, by inserting the needle through the membrane into the distal storage portion, and then withdrawing or adding fluid to the container. Another common type of specialized container is a “snap-open” container, which has a clear distal storage portion and a proximal portion generally made of the same material, such as glass, with a scored junction between the distal storage portion and the proximal portion. An operator accesses the interior of the distal storage portion in this type of container by breaking the container at the junction, thereby separating the distal storage portion from the proximal portion, and then inserting the needle on the distal end of an accessing device into the distal storage portion to withdraw or add fluid.
Accessing fluid in either of these types of container carries a significant risk of a needle injury to the operator because, when the operator inserts a needle into the distal storage portion of the container using one hand, the operator directs the needle toward the operator's opposing hand or to another person's hand that is holding the container. Failure to direct the needle properly will often result in a needle injury to the hand holding the container. Therefore, there is a need for a device and method that decreases the risk of a needle injury when an operator inserts a needle into a container.